The men's doubles was a
tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...
event held as part of the
Tennis at the 1904 Summer Olympics
Two events in tennis were contested at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis, United States. The competitions were held from Monday, August 29, 1904 to Monday, September 5, 1904.
Medal summary Events
Medal table
Participating nations
A total ...
programme. It was the third time the event was held at the Olympics. There were 30 players from 2 nations, comprising 15 pairs including one mixed team.
[ Only one player was from outside the United States; all medals were won by Americans. The event was won by ]Edgar Leonard
Edgar Welch Leonard (June 19, 1881 – October 7, 1948) was a Harvard graduate and male tennis player from the United States.
He is best known for his gold medal at the St. Louis Olympics (1904) in the men's doubles event, partnering Beals Wrig ...
and Beals Wright
Beals Coleman Wright (December 19, 1879 – August 23, 1961) was an American tennis player who was active at the end of the 1890s and early 1900s. He won the singles title at the 1905 U.S. National Championships. Wright was a two-time Olympic g ...
, defeating Alphonzo Bell
Alphonzo Edward Bell Sr. (September 29, 1875 – December 27, 1947) was an American oil multi-millionaire, real estate developer, philanthropist, and champion tennis player. The westside Los Angeles residential community of Bel Air is name ...
and Robert LeRoy
Robert LeRoy (February 7, 1885 – September 7, 1946) was a tennis player from New York City in the United States, who won two medals at the 1904 Summer Olympics in St. Louis. He won a Silver medal in both the men's singles event and the men's ...
in the final. The two bronze medal pairs were Clarence Gamble (tennis)
Clarence Oliver Gamble (August 16, 1881 – June 13, 1952) was an American tennis
Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Ea ...
/Arthur Wear
Arthur Yancey Wear (March 1, 1880 – November 6, 1918) was an American tennis player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics. He was the son of James H. Wear and the brother of Joseph Wear. In 1904 he won the bronze medal with his partner C ...
and Joseph Wear
Joseph Walker Wear (November 27, 1876 – June 4, 1941) was an American tennis player who competed in the 1904 Summer Olympics.
He was the son of James H. Wear and the brother of Arthur Wear
Arthur Yancey Wear (March 1, 1880 – Novem ...
/ Allen West. The medals were the first credited to the United States in the men's doubles, though an American had been part of a silver medal mixed team in 1900.
Background
This was the third appearance of the men's doubles tennis. The event has been held at every Summer Olympics where tennis has been on the program: from 1896 to 1924 and then from 1988 to the current program. A demonstration event was held in 1968.
The competition was largely limited to American players, with only one international entrant. The British brothers Laurence Doherty
Hugh Laurence "Laurie" Doherty (8 October 1875 – 21 August 1919) was a British tennis player and the younger brother of tennis player Reginald Doherty. He was a six-time Grand Slam champion and a double Olympic Gold medalist at the 1900 Sum ...
and Reginald Doherty
Reginald "Reggie" or "R. F." Frank Doherty (14 October 1872 – 29 December 1910) was a British tennis player and the older brother of tennis player Laurence Doherty. He was known in the tennis world as "R.F." rather than "Reggie". , 1900 Olympic champions and nearing the conclusion of their eight-year Wimbledon win streak, were notable absences.
Competition format
The competition was a single-elimination tournament with no bronze-medal match (both semifinal losers tied for third). All matches before the final were best-of-three sets; the final was best-of-five sets. Tiebreaks had not been invented yet.
Schedule
Draw
Results
References
*
ITF, 2008 Olympic Tennis Event Media Guide
1904
Events
January
* January 7 – The distress signal ''CQD'' is established, only to be replaced 2 years later by ''SOS''.
* January 8 – The Blackstone Library is dedicated, marking the beginning of the Chicago Public Library system.
* ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tennis at the 1904 Summer Olympics - Men's doubles
Men's doubles